movies, i adore thee

Hello, friends :)

So, my little sister got her tonsils out last week, and I, being the good older sister that I am, have been popping back and forth between Aurora and Fort Collins to help take care of her. Honestly, she doesn't need a whole lot of caretaking...but it is lovely to be at home lounging around, alternating between reading, watching food network, and giggling.

In the last 24 hours, my sister and I watched three movies, and I figured I ought to review them, because that is what I do :)

#1 Midnight in Paris

I was a little hesitant to watch this movie, because the last Owen Wilson movie I saw was Hall Pass, and that was the least funny comedy movie I have seen in a long time. However, the romantic Parisian music and lights in the previews hooked me, and I couldn't resist renting it.

Midnight in Paris follows Gill, a writer working on his first novel, as he vacations in Paris with his fiancee (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. He's a nostalgic man who yearns for better times, and idealizes the 1920s. While wandering the empty streets at midnight one night, an antique car filled with enthusiastic party-goers stops, and Gill is ushered into the car with them. At first it seems Gill has been picked up by some 1920s role-playing enthusiasts who go by the names of Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, and Dali. However, the viewer quickly learns that he has in fact been transported to another era. The nature of the tale is beautifully whimsical. The idea that at the stroke of midnight, Paris transforms into a sort of time machine where one can take a twirl in their most beloved decade of all time.

If you at all love Paris, Marion Cotillard (she dazzles as a lovely and mysterious woman Gill meets in the 20s), or the notion of being able to travel to an era and party with the greats of that time, then I highly recommend this film! It is charming; a movie that leaves you with a happy heart.

#2 Never Say Never

Yes, I watched the Justin Bieber movie! I have heard a few of this kid's songs, am familiar with "Bieber Fever" as it swept the nation, and know of his iconic hair. That's pretty much as much as I knew about Justin Bieber. I kept having this nagging feeling that I kindasorta wanted to watch it though, being that some of my friends have proclaimed themselves immediate Bieber fans upon watching it. So I figured, why not?

This movie/MTV documentary tells the story of Justin Bieber, a kid with a single mom from Canada. He is a completely self-taught musician --- yes, musician. Apparently he doesn't just sing and swish his hair, he plays drums, guitar, and piano --- and singer. Never once had a music lesson before he started getting famous and had the means to hire a vocal coach. There is one scene where he opened his Christmas gift from his mother - a bongo - and immediately pounded out a rhythmic beat...as a 2 year old!

No, this movie isn't the best movie I have ever seen. But it certainly satiated my curiosity about Bieber, and I have to say, the 17-year-old certainly has my respect! He is a hardworking kid who sold out Madison Square Gardens at the age of 16 --- a feat unheard of!

#3 I Don't Know How She Does It

This movie is an adaption from a book, and it is one of the strongest social commentaries on double standards between men and women in the work force that I have seen in a long time! Kate (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a married mom of two in Chicago who works for a top financing company. She seems to do it all with ease. Or actually she does it all with her lists, her tight management of both her home and work life. However, the more powerful her role becomes at work, the more difficult it is for her to be involved in raising her children. Her dilemma is very real, as today many women struggle to balance motherhood with competing with the boys at work.

If you love Sarah Jessica Parker and girl power, then this is a movie for you. It's funny and light, yet deeply insightful at the same time.

What have YOU been watching? Anything I need to rush to watch before my break is over?

Cheers to my ongoing vacation so that I can indulge in movie watching and critiquing!